Leah's Happy Ending
by Forgive My Sins
Summary: Desperate to finally move on with her life, Leah leaves to find happiness and fulfilment. A one-shot of the happy ending that I feel like Leah deserved with a little crossover twist at the end.


**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**LEAH'S HAPPY ENDING  
**_Leah Clearwater [Hints of Leah/Sam & at the end, Leah imprints on...read and find out!]  
_Desperate to finally move on with her life, Leah leaves to find happiness and fulfilment. A one-shot of the happy ending that I feel like Leah deserved with a little crossover twist at the end.

Her surroundings kind of reminded her of home. The town that she was currently in was her forth one in the past six months and so far...she kind of liked it, for that one reason; it reminded her of home, of La Push. Everyone seemed to know each other; everyone seemed to look out for each other even if they didn't always like one another. There were only one or two main hang outs, while the rest of the place was somewhat dull yet at the same time, oddly inviting. The weather was nice, not that it mattered to her considering her temperature was always well above one hundred. Leah Clearwater felt as if she would like it here – perhaps this was the place where she would finally settle down. Mystic Falls – it had a pretty nice ring to it, right? She was at least considering it while her pen scratched against paper, filling in an application form for a small job as a bar tender at this Mystic Grill place. This had pretty much been her life for the past six months – she skipped from town to town. Some she didn't like at all. She would crash there for the night, regain strength then leave in the morning. Others caught her attention and she would give it a try, she would hang around in a motel, get herself a little job on the side and stick around for a while, before leaving and moving on.

It was weird to think that she was a runaway. She didn't like one. If anything, this felt...normal to her. She was finally doing what she wanted – she was finally finding freedom...finding solace.

Running away was never something Leah Clearwater had ever agreed with. She was a toughie – independent, strong, determined to go at things alone without the help of others and therefore, it made sense that she was also the kind of person that would face her problems heads up rather than shy away from them. Therefore, it came to a surprise to not just everyone, but herself as well, when she made the decision to leave La Push for a long holiday, one that she wasn't sure if she would ever actually come back from.

It had taken her a long time to actually make the decision – she had struggled over it in her mind for months, desperately attempting to keep her thoughts as silent as possible for as long as she could. She'd danced around the idea, changed her mind, forgotten it and then two days later, pondered it again. This went on for what felt like forever. Truth was, deep down, she really did want to leave, she was just...she supposed she was scared to do so. She wanted to move on but at the same time, she didn't want to forget. Did that even make sense?

See, there were a lot more depths to Leah Clearwater than people expected. She was mainly known as the bitch from hell, cold as stone, never ever breaking, but truth was, she was a lot more than that. She had feelings, she just never showed them. She cared, even if she never acted like it and she could, in fact, be hurt, even if she tried her hardest to deny it. Wasn't that what had gotten her in this position in the first place after all; being hurt? There was a time when she had been happy after all – carefree and always up for a challenge, always ready to laugh and make jokes not just at other people's expenses. Heart break changed a person though, especially the kind of heart break that she was put through. Since then, Leah had a lot of barriers – she didn't discuss problems. She didn't open up. She liked to think she was all those things that people called her – never broken, never tameable and certainly never weak. But she knew, deep down, that she could be all of those things. She knew deep down that she _was _all of those things. She was broken because of the betrayal, because of losing the ability to not have children, because of being so damn alone. She was tameable because there was always an alpha around to bark orders at her – Jacob had set her free, but it wasn't long before Sam had ordered her back with her tails between her legs and she had pathetically gone. She was weak _because_ she came back – weak because she still had some sick need to please Sam in vain hope that one day he would notice all she did for him that Emily didn't.

Everyone had just expected her to get over it – it had been quite some time ago after all. Leah couldn't help it though. Sam Uley hadn't just been her first crush, but he had been her first love. He had promised her the world. He had cherished her and cared for her. One minute, she had been his whole world and then the next; it was like she wasn't even worth the dirt on his fucking shoe. The second he laid eyes upon her perfect cousin, her pretty and polite cousin, she had been pushed to the side and forgotten about. Imprinting – she fucking hated it. What was so fantastic about it anyway? Becoming someone's slave against your will? Forgive her, but Leah liked the idea of finding someone herself, not finding them because 'destiny' fucking tells her that's the way it should be. Yes, she was bitter, but didn't she have the right to be? Yes, she did. But she didn't want to be. Everyone had thought she enjoyed it – enjoyed the wallowing and the pain, but she really didn't. She would do anything to just be able to move on, but that was the thing.

That was why she had made the decision to leave – why she was now sat here in the town's only real hang out area, filling out an application form while keys to a motel room stuck out of the pocket of her jeans. Here, she could move on. Anywhere else apart from La Push, she could move on. Back there, it had been impossible for her to do so. In La Push, she was always surrounded by bad memories, bad places. She was always being forced to listen to the thoughts of hormonal males, including Sam's. Oh, the amount of times she had been forced to listen to Sam contemplate the wedding, forced to listen to Sam go on about how amazing Emily was, how he couldn't wait to have children with her...well, yippee for him, he was allowed to have that life. Being a werewolf slash shape shifter didn't affect his sperm like it froze her fertility eggs. How was she supposed to move on when every horrible emotion, every slice of pain that had been cut into her, lingered around the damn area like a bad smell, refusing to go away? It was impossible. What made it worse was the fact she was then forced to watch everyone else go somewhere with their lives – the pack, her mother...all of them were moving on and finding somewhere they belonged or someone to belong to. Her mother tried to keep it on the low down, but Leah was almost twenty three, she wasn't an idiot. She knew Charlie Swan wasn't coming round several times a week just to taste her mom's pot pie. As for the pack...well, it had been that damn imprinting again, hadn't it?

Jacob...well, there was never a down day for him since he had laid eyes upon that freaky vampire baby, which was a little perverse in Leah's eyes, but whatever. He was her friend and she supposed whatever made him happy made her happy. Seth had found himself some little 'rose petal' as he liked to call her as a pet-name. He'd met her in detention. One look and bam, she was suddenly his whole reason for existence and he wouldn't shut up about her. Jared was forever showering Kim with affection and gifts that he couldn't even afford half the time, while Paul was just getting laid all the time after imprinting on Rachel Black. Even Quill and Embry had found themselves someone to make their mark upon and sure, Embry had followed Jacob with the whole 'baby imprinting' but if he wanted to spend the next two years giving some snotty-nosed kid piggy backs everywhere then who was she to judge? Emily was making definite arrangements for the wedding now that there was no vampire trouble happening anymore and of course, everyone was buzzing with excitement about that. All of this was happening around her, but Leah had just been left behind with nothing – just poor, lonely Leah.

There had been no fulfilment in her life back there. It was as if she had been stuck in some rut that she could never leave. She had wanted more. Believe it or not, she had wanted to be happy. She had wanted to be pleased with her life. She had wanted to be able to love forward to a bright, promising future instead of being stuck in the same, dull and depressing present. She had wanted to be _free_. She longed for a fresh life, a fresh start – away from everything that had gone wrong, away from everything that made her miserable. Some people would probably ask her how she managed to find all these things jumping from town to town, but surprisingly she did. It wasn't exactly the perfect life – there were no picket fences, no husband to rub her feet after a long day, no apple pie life, but...Leah wasn't looking for a fairytale or a miracle. Leah was just looking for some form of peace. She was looking to just get away from all the bad shit in her life and that was what she was doing right now. La Push hadn't been her home for a long time so it hadn't hurt much to leave. Besides, ever since being a little girl, this was something Leah had wanted to do – she had wanted to explore. She remembered the nights she would lie curled up by Sam's side after a session of love-making and they would talk about anything, about the future. She would talk about wanting to travel – wanting to see the world and everything in it. It had been an ambition of hers since she was three years old – an ambition that was forgotten when the changes in her body began and the inner wolf within was unleashed.

That was what she was doing now; reminding herself of that ambition. Sure, she wasn't travelling the world just yet. She was riding to different places on a Harley bike she had paid Jacob on the cheap to fix up for her. She was living off money she'd taken from various savings, such as college funds never spent or money her father had left in his will and she was then earning herself more by getting herself part time jobs whenever she found a place to settle down for a few weeks. She was looking for somewhere she felt comfortable staying in, somewhere she felt she fit, a replacement home – she hadn't found it yet, but that was okay. She didn't mind having to keep looking. In fact, she liked the adventure. It gave her the independence that she longed for and that was all she needed. It wasn't the sort of life a typical woman would want but...Leah wasn't exactly a typical woman, was she?

Did she regret leaving? It was a tough question. Sometimes, she would miss certain things. She would miss having people to relate to – no one around here really understood why she burnt you if you touched her or why she could hear things she wasn't supposed to. Not being around the pack meant that she was only one. But, on the plus side, at least she didn't have the voices of hormonal and frisky teenagers haunting her mind now, listening to her thoughts and sharing their own. Then of course, there was the family she had left behind. Her family was small, consisting mainly of her mother, Seth and she supposed Emily was a part of it too as much as she despised the woman. She missed them – her brother, mostly. She regretted not saying goodbye to Seth properly. The only person she had told her plan to was her mother. Everyone else important had received notes – Seth, Jacob and surprisingly Sam. She wasn't exactly the kind of person that said goodbyes – she didn't look to hug, cry, learn and grow. She had just wanted to escape. She didn't have time to justify that to anyone. She knew Seth would resent her for that though, if she were to ever return to La Push. He'd get over it one day though.

But...despite all of that, she did not regret leaving. She was actually glad that she left. It was what she had needed. Staying in La Push would've killed her eventually. She needed to just get out, find an escape and sort her life back – get herself back on track and that was exactly what she was doing now.

"Nice tattoo." A male voice dragged her away from her thoughts. It was deep and throaty, full of attitude. She could tell without even looking at the source that this dude was a little cocky. She knew he was complimenting her tribal pack tattoo – it was the only on show, her lower back one was hidden by the tank top that she was wearing.

"Whatever." She responded, clearly brushing whoever it was off. Her hand didn't even bother to pause its writing as she continued to scribble on the form nor did she grace him with her presence by actually looking at him. She was somewhat thankful that he had pulled her out of her thoughts – they'd been getting far too deep for her liking, but despite that, she was not in the mood to be chatted up by some guy who thought he was god's gift. Some would say she was judging him pretty quick, not even bothering to check out the cover, but that was just the way Leah was.

There was silence and an awkward shuffle – he wasn't moving away, her ears weren't picking up on footsteps. He just seemed to be lingering there. He cleared his throat and she rolled her eyes in irritation. Finally, he spoke again. "You're new around here." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"Observant fucker, aren't you?" Leah grumbled back, sarcasm dripping in her voice.

"Well, town's pretty small. Everyone sort of knows everyone so it's always pretty obvious when someone new comes." Did he really think she gave a fuck?

"How fascinating." She drawled, putting her pen down with an irritated thud and reaching for the beer in front of her, bringing it to her chapped lips. She still didn't look at him – she only made eye contact with people she thought were worth her time or people she wanted to threaten. If he continued, he'd be getting that second treatment.

"I was just going to say...if you're sticking around, maybe you'd want someone to show you around? There's not exactly much to see, but – "

"No." Leah interrupted. She put her beer bottle down and sighed heavily. "Look, mate, I'm a big tough girl, I can take care of myself. I don't need some – "As she spoke, she finally turned her head to look at him. The moment her eyes caught sight of him, she forgot everything, including what she had been saying. Her lips remained parted slightly in shock and she felt her eyes widen ever so slightly. She was right about him being cocky, it was obvious by his stance – he was standing there in jeans that fit him almost perfectly and a shirt that was crisp, hiding away what she imagined would be a rather delicious set of muscles. His shoulders were pinned back, as if setting authority and his head was held that little bit higher than everyone else, letting people know not to fuck with him if they knew what was good for them. His fingers were curled around a beer, though for some reason, she imagined he wasn't actually old enough to buy that himself or the bartender was just generous when it came to asking for I.D.

Everything about him was...beautiful. His eyes were pools of chocolate. Not milk chocolate, but dark chocolate...full of mystery, mischief and perhaps even a little danger. They twinkled with excitement yet if one was to look as closely as Leah was now, the faintest bit of vulnerability could be discovered. His mouth was so plump, almost looking permanently pouted or pursed. They were a delicious shade of pink and she found herself shifting uncomfortably in her seat in order to prevent herself from just throwing herself at him and kissing that mouth of his. His skin, his bone structure...he was just utter perfection. Her heart felt as if it was about to leave her chest, pounding furiously at just a glimpse of him. She had never felt like this before.

She felt as if she was floating, as if her body was suddenly defying gravity. Her body grew warmer, not in a painful way, but in a pleasurable way. She felt as if she was glowing. Suddenly, everything in her life made sense. Suddenly, everything in her life pointed towards this one person – she lived for him, she existed for him. She was there to please him, to protect him, to be with him, to care for him, to love him...anything as long as it was for him. It was as if she had known him since the day she was born. Nobody else mattered – her mind couldn't even remember anyone else. Sam who?

Oh god. She'd imprinted.

She had sworn she would never do it, but she had. And she liked it. She loved it. She...loved him. It was ridiculous really – she didn't even know his name, but...she loved him. She didn't know how deep the love was – did he want a friend, a sibling...a lover? Oh god, she hoped it was the last because she knew that was what she wanted, but more than anything, she just wanted to be what he wanted. In the past, she would have scoffed at the idea of that, she would have found the very idea of it degrading, but now...well, it didn't feel degrading at all. This was what she had been searching for – a place she belonged, a reason to exist and this was it: her reason to exist. He didn't know it yet, but one day he would. This was her bright, promising future – the one she had been searching for. He could feel it to – not as strongly as she could, but he could feel a connection, an unexplainable feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. She saw the confusion in his eyes and the dazed expression creeping onto his face. They were just staring at each other. She wasn't sure how much time passed, but then something happened that pulled them back to reality.

His beer bottle slipped from his hand and Leah caught it out of the corner of her eye. Reflexes kicked in and before it had the chance to meet the floor and smash, she reached down and caught it, gripping it tight. "Careful there, don't want to waste precious beer." She joked, passing it back to him. She cringed inside afterwards – precious beer? Seriously?

The unnamed male smirked slightly, laughing awkwardly. He took the beer in one hand while his other lifted to rub the back of his neck nervously. "Uh...yeah. Sorry. I..." He seemed just as taken back as her. He didn't understand the sudden bond he felt drawing him towards this female. He had spoken to her in the hope to get lucky with the newcomer and now he was feeling knots tie in his stomach that he didn't even know existed.

"That's okay. Sorry I was so rude before, I..." Her voice was no longer cold as she attempted to brush him off. Instead, it was velvety warm, inviting him towards her, welcoming him into her life. She paused for a few moments, before stretching her tanned hand out towards him. "I'm Leah Clearwater."

He watched her for a few brief seconds before offering her a smirk that he was famous for around here. "Tyler. Tyler Lockwood." He responded, reaching out and taking his hand. He instantly drew his hand back. "Jesus, you're fucking hot!" He exclaimed.

Leah flinched slightly before just lifting her eyebrows. "I bet you say that to all the girls." She commented slyly. Their eyes met and once again, they stared at each other before both breaking into laughter. It wasn't long before he had seated himself at her table and they were talking – they weren't really discussing anything in particular, they were just talking. It was the first time in years that Leah had felt in ease.

Maybe she would be sticking around in Mystic Falls after all.

It turns out running away was the best idea she'd ever thought of. Sam had been right; not everyone's mate was in La Push. Sometimes, you had to explore before you found yourself. That's what Leah had done – she'd explored and now, here she was...finding herself, her purpose; Tyler Lockwood. Suddenly, that was all she knew. Suddenly, Leah was home and she didn't plan on leaving any time soon.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Okay, this really isn't my best work. I'm not happy about it at all. I re-wrote it about three times. I wanted to give up, but I couldn't because I _adore _this pairing idea and I also wanted to give Leah a happy ending. There's a couple more one shots that I might do as follow ups. One that I really thought about doing was Sam's P.O.V when he reads Leah's letter...would anyone be interested in reading that? Let me know in a review! And also, does anyone else like this pairing? I originally thought Leah/Damon, but nope. I mean, my favourite Leah pairings are usually Leah/Paul or Leah/Jacob, but then one day...BAM LEAH/TYLER! They came into my mind and now I can't forget them. I may even try to vid them.


End file.
